


A Wishing Kind of Night

by ChillsofFire



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-09-25 21:13:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9844466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChillsofFire/pseuds/ChillsofFire
Summary: Uri stood several meters from the shore, the water lapping gently at the tops of his hips. He was completely still, his back to Kenny and the palms of his hands resting lightly on top of the water, just barely breaking the surface. Moonlight shimmered over the glass like surface, and almost seemed to make his pale hair and skin glow.In the ten minutes that Kenny had been watching him, he had not moved.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to try to write something calmer and different. This happened. I'm still not completely sure what it is.

Every now and then, Kenny would make a wish. It was a rare occurrence; he had never believed in the idea of _wishing_ for things to happen, preferring to act and _make_ life work for him. But, every few years, when the planets aligned and hell turned into a frozen wasteland, Kenny would make an honest, genuine wish.

Tonight seemed to be one of those special nights.

_I wish I knew what he was thinking._

It was a beautiful summer night, the kind normally described in hopeful stories with happy endings. The moon, full and bright, unhindered by the glow of lanterns, lit up the earth, highlighting everything in brilliant silver. A soft breeze flitted playfully through the trees, causing the leaves to rustle quietly. Kenny briefly entertained the thought that the sound was not unlike the one that had woken him in the first place. It sounded a lot like the rustling of his bed sheets as Uri had slipped out from between them.

Kenny hadn’t thought much of it at the time, simply assuming that he had needed to relieve himself. But Uri hadn’t returned, and after a time Kenny had taken it upon himself to track him down.

Now, Kenny stood beneath an old oak tree, hidden by its deep shadow, looking out over a small lake and making his once-in-a-blue-moon wish.

Uri stood several meters from the shore, the water lapping gently at the tops of his hips. He was completely still, his back to Kenny and the palms of his hands resting lightly on top of the water, just barely breaking the surface. Moonlight shimmered over the glass like surface, and almost seemed to make his pale hair and skin glow.

In the ten minutes that Kenny had been watching him, he had not moved.

Kenny stepped away from the tree, silent as he walked forward, closer to the lake. He paused briefly at an old, dried out log, quietly observing the cloak and sandals that had been abandoned on top of it. Quietly, making barely a sound, Kenny began to strip, shrugging his unbuttoned shirt from his shoulders and toeing his boots from his feet. The soft cotton sleep pants were the last to go, folded loosely and draped over the log with the rest of his clothing.

The cool air felt good against his skin, fitting nicely with the sensation of the grass against the bottoms of his feet as he stepped to the edge of the water. Kenny paused for a moment, eyes on Uri. He remained still as a statue.

.Another soft breeze whispered around the two figures, dancing through the trees that rimmed the far side of the shore and breaking the almost perfect reflection of the night sky on the lakes surface. It tugged gently at Kenny’s hair and pushed tenderly at his back, as if attempting to guide him forward, into the lake, toward Uri.

The water was warm, a contradiction to the air. It rushed over Kenny’s skin, opening around his feet as he stepped forward before closing down and around his legs; almost cocooning him in its hold. Ripples from his movements spread out across the water, causing the light from the moon and stars to swirl and swim.

There was no urgency in Kenny’s movements. Slowly, steadily, he waded farther into the water, curling his toes into the sandy bottom every few steps, studying the way the temperature changed around his legs the deeper he went. When he reached Uri’s side, he was silent. He came to a stop, his hands hovering just slightly over the water’s surface, and observed the young king’s face. Uri was staring straight ahead, expression empty, eyes fixed on a horizon Kenny could not see. Kenny looked up.

They stood without talking for several moments, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Kenny kept his gaze on the sky, taking in the fullness of the moon, the brightness of the stars. His eyes traced nonsense shapes as he connected the twinkling dots at random. No matter how many times he saw it, the night sky always served to fascinate him. He guessed that living most of his life below ground had something to do with it.

“I didn’t mean to wake you.” Uri didn’t move when he spoke, his voice soft.

Kenny inhaled slowly, deeply, “Can’t sleep?”

“Not tonight…”

“Wanna talk about it?”

“Not really...”

Kenny nodded once, his eyes still aimed heavenward. Uri took in a breath, letting it out slowly.

Kenny looked down, his gaze dropping from the stars to their watery reflections. The lake had stilled, the ripples from his journey here had dissipated, and the water was still once again. From shore to shore, the lake had turned into a giant mirror, reflecting the endless night sky across its surface. It looked like a portal, an opening to nowhere set in the middle of grass and trees and reeds. And Kenny stood in the center of it all, his right hand inches from touching the moon, buried waist deep in the endless blackness of space.

He did not believe in magic, but he could not deny the sense of wonder the sight gave him.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

Kenny nodded slowly, “Yeah. It is.” His hands dipped beneath the water, cupping together in front of him. When the water resettled again, a single star sat in his palms, glistening brightly. Kenny briefly wondered if that was what it felt like to be a god, holding light, left to decide the fate of something as beautiful as this.

Slowly, he lifted his hands from the water, bringing the star up, up, until his skin met the air and the water ran out between his fingers. The star disappeared, and Kenny scorned himself for the childish curl of disappointment that bloomed deep in his belly.

He was just a man, after all.

“I come out here to clear my head,” Uri still spoke softly, his eyes still focused on nothing, “whenever I need a break…”

Kenny looked over at him, his hands falling back under the water once more. There was something in Uri’s eyes, something dark and unknown, something he wasn’t saying.

_I wish you would talk to me._

“I wish I could give everyone else the same peace I feel here…I wish I could make them feel safe…” Uri swallowed once, the action almost unnoticeable save for the small motion of his throat.

Kenny had heard this before. Uri wanted to help, but he couldn’t. He wanted to protect the rest of humanity, but he couldn’t. He wanted to be a better king, but he couldn’t.

_I wish you could tell me why._

“It was a nightmare, wasn’t it?”

Uri blinked, but did not answer.

“You can wake me up for those, you know.” Kenny moved his left hand through the water, gently swirling it beneath Uri’s own surface bound hand. If Uri noticed, he didn’t show it.

“It was just a dream…”

“And?”

“I assumed you wouldn’t want to be bothered with something so childish.” Uri glanced at Kenny from the corner of his eye, watching him for a moment before turning his gaze forward once more.

“We can’t help what we dream.” Kenny looked down, watching his hand wave back and forth under Uri’s. “And comin’ out here alone won’t help. You hate being alone.”

Uri inhaled slowly. Kenny stilled his hand, turning his palm upward.

“You don’t have to be, you know. I’m here if you wanna…” He paused. What exactly was he there for? Talking was never his strong suit. There was no helpful advice waiting in the depths of his mind.

“Well,” he brought his hand up slowly, stopping just before his palm brushed against Uri’s, leaving nothing by the thin surface of the lake separating them. “I’m here.”

“I know…” Uri curled his fingers down into the spaces between Kenny’s, holding his hand gently. His eyes slid closed, a soft sigh left his lips, and his shoulders lost a tension Kenny hadn’t realized they were holding. “Thank you for following me…”

Kenny returned the gesture, giving a small squeeze. “Like I was goin’ to leave you by yourself. You’d get hurt.”

Uri smiled softly.

Silence fell, comfortable and safe. A gentle breeze washed over them.

Kenny stepped back, tugging lightly at Uri’s hand, “Come back to bed.”

Uri nodded and turned to follow. When he opened his eyes, they were clear and focused once again, the dark, hidden _something_ gone from them. It made Kenny feel better, though he wasn’t completely sure why.

Together they waded back to the shore, hands still entwined. Uri wrapped his cloak around himself, smiling slightly in amusement as he quietly watched Kenny struggle to pull his pants back up over wet skin.

Kenny grabbed his boots, not wanting to wrestle his feet back into them at the moment, and simply folded his shirt over his arm. It would be coming off as soon as they got back anyway. Uri bent down to scoop up his sandals, content with the feeling of the grass between his toes. He reached for Kenny’s hand again, lacing their fingers together before moving forward, leading the way back to his home.

They walked in silence. Kenny followed half a step behind the young king, his eyes moving up and down his back slowly, as if attempting to commit every detail to memory; the small bounce of his hair, the perfect posture of his spine, the slim frame of his shoulders, the softness of his palm against his.

Eventually grass turned to dirt, dirt turned to polished stone, and stone turned to waxed wood that shifted slightly under their weight. Uri stepped lightly up the stairs, his feet whispering across the surface of the porch as he reached for the door to his home. Kenny followed close, instinctively keeping his weight on the balls of his feet so as not to make noise.

He latched the door tightly behind them. Checked it twice, just in case.

Uri tugged at his hand, quietly urging him along.

The bedroom was just as they’d left it; bedsheets thrown toward the middle of the bed, clothes from the day before abandoned on the floor, unlit candles on the side tables.

Kenny took the lead this time, stepping toward the bed as Uri turned to shut the door. Their fingers unlocked, their hands drifted apart. Kenny found he did not like the cold, empty feeling left by the separation.

The mattress strings creaked when he sat on the edge of the bed. He ignored the sound as he leaned forward to drop his boots and shirt by the base of the nightstand. They needed to be close; he wasn’t sure how soon he’d need them again.

When Uri moved to join him, he reached for his hand once more and pulled him close. There were no words spoken. Kenny did not know what to say, anyway. They fell back onto the bed together. Uri moved to press himself against his side. Kenny lifted his arm without complaint and wrapped it tightly around his shoulders as soon as he was comfortable.

Uri fell asleep quickly; his eyes closing as soon as his head came to rest on Kenny’s chest. His breaths were calm and steady. He seemed so relaxed.

But Kenny could not shake the memory of the darkness in his eyes. The unknown something that drove Uri to seek peace in the middle of the night. The dark force that he could not speak of.

His arm tightened just slightly around Uri’s body. It was all he could do for the moment; remind himself that Uri was there. Whole. Alive. If only for the moment, if only until the _unknown_ reared its head again.

Kenny closed his eyes, and made one last wish.

_I wish I could keep you safe._

**Author's Note:**

> I will go down with this ship!


End file.
